Thread by @UnisNotBorders

THREAD

While the VC enjoys his Christmas, @UnisNotBorders has been assisting @USSU International Student Officer, @caituee on cases of migrant student homelessness @SussexUni. These cases are part of systemic issues including #HostileEnvironment + marketised higher education.

Student A is a migrant postgrad @SussexUni with their family (partner & 3 children). They arrived in October 2021 & since, have been moving from short-term let to another w/o any stable, long-term housing. Student A & their family's mental & physical health are deteriorating.

Student A's children have not been able to enroll in school since coming to the UK because of a lack of stable housing. Student A's has been so focused on finding housing that they can't focus on their coursework.

Student A appealed to the university for housing support but @SussexHousing has told them they have no housing for students w/ dependents. Meanwhile private landlords want 6 months rent upfront & actively discriminated when they find that Student A has children & is a migrant.

Student B, on the other hand, is a single migrant woman postgrad student, also @SussexUni , who also came to the UK in October 2021. Since October, Student B has been homeless, sleeping from various friend's couches as she tries to secure stable housing.

Similar to Student A, private landlords ask Student B for 6 months upfront rent fees along with a guarantor's letter, the latter which she is unable to produce as she's only been in the UK for 3 months. Student B has gotten no support from @SussexHousing.

All of Student B's efforts on trying to find secure housing. And this is taking a toll on her mental & physical health, in addition to her coursework. Thousands of miles away from home, Student B wonders how she is going to survive any further as a homeless migrant student.

Before @SussexUni plays down the cases of Student A & Student B as an 'isolated problem', we know that many students, especially migrant students are dealing with heightened levels of precarity & exploitation in the student housing market not only in Brighton but nationwide.

Housing services & good support services are under-resourced @SussexUni & there is zero affordable housing in Brighton, especially for student families. This isn't middle management ignorance, but the ignorance of Sussex executives who create housing crisis to pocket ££.

Students A & B cases are part of a wider problem both @SussexUni & in all UK unis, where migrant students are left to fend for themselves, a woeful lack of knowledge within SUs & uni staff on how #HostileEnvironment + marketised HE are marginalising precarious migrant students.

During the first wave of the global pandemic, @UnisNotBorders & @migrants_rights did a study & found that 56% of migrant students were either destitute or at risk of destitution during the first lockdown in addition to a lack of emergency funds: migrantsrights.org.uk/2020/08/10/stu…

Much like the migrant student counterparts two years into the global pandemic, Students A & B are now left on their own, with no adequate support systems in place from @SussexUni to prevent migrant student destitution. This is a deliberate decision on the part of the university.

Meanwhile @SussexUni gave Adam Tickell £17,000 in relocation costs, when he became Vice Chancellor in 2016. Clearly the university *does* have funds to give, but only to those on inflated six figure salaries who are contributing to precarity of migrant & home staff & students.

As rent-a Vice Chancellor David Maguire tucks into his Christmas lunch there are two migrant students of a growing number of students & university staff @SussexUni that are homeless & without safe, secure housing. #Shame

We cannot let the @SussexUni obfuscate their pastoral responsibility to Students A & B & particularly so many other migrant students, who are paying outrageously expensive tuition fees (twice the amount to that of British students) but left with zero support mechanisms.

@DrJoGrady @maybulman @mwolferobinson @CharlieBCuff @misszing @Channel4News @IRR_News @bsaactivism @MattWestern_ @garyyounge

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